


Comfort Zone

by MagnoliaGrandiflora



Series: Precious Moments [1]
Category: Swan Princess (1994)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-09-12 06:07:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9058894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagnoliaGrandiflora/pseuds/MagnoliaGrandiflora
Summary: It was most definitely his business, he just wasn't sure why.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own the Swan Princess or any of the characters.
> 
> This is set during Odette and Derek's adolescent years and I'm not entirely sure where it came from but here it is. I'm also hoping that this will be the beginning of a set of oneshots for this fandom so, if you enjoy it, be on the lookout for more.
> 
> For those of you who prefer the fanfiction.net format, this has also been posted on my profile there under the name 'Little Gem Magnolia' and the working title "Precious Moments."

When the long sleeves of her purple gown slid toward her elbows to show darkening, very recent bruises during the customary prayer before dinner he'd tried to school his expression. From the startled, questioning eyes that met his gaze when she raised her head, he had apparently failed.

Against his own will fierce feelings of protectiveness welled in his veins, burning him up with white hot anger.

He knew who had marked her flawless skin with their harsh fingerprints and he knew why it had happened but for the life of him he couldn't understand why he cared with such a violent intensity.

Why should it bother him so that their parents thought nothing of using force just short of abuse to bend her to their will?

What business was it of his?

But he knew it _was_ his business even before his mind formed the question, and it definitely bothered him. It bothered him more than he ever wanted to admit because he cared for her more than he ever wanted to admit.

He no longer took her resistance to their forced courtship personally. He knew it wasn't necessarily him that she was opposed to, more the fact that she had no say in her future and the future of her kingdom.

She was a smart girl. She could see the many benefits uniting their kingdoms would bring generations to come but, on the other hand, she didn't appreciate that their entire lives had been staged out, planned before either of them had reached an age to even care, let alone participate in the planning.

He could see her resentment in the way she bowed her head when their parents mentioned possible laws and bills that would go over more smoothly after the merger was in place. It was in the rigid set of her spine when her father took him aside to discuss "the business of men" and the spooked animal look that dominated her features when his mother pulled her into a conversation on how to be the perfect wife. It was all over the uncharacteristic iciness in her tone when she reminded any and everyone concerned that how many children they had, and what their names may or may not be, was a concern that was theirs and involved no one else.

Whether they liked it or not, they only had each other to rely on in this mess that was destined to be their future. They had come to an understanding of sorts, he and Odette, so the hand that reached for hers in the small space that separated them at the table did not come as a surprise. She quietly allowed his much larger fingers to invade her dinner space and seal hers in a warm, comforting grip without so much as a look in his direction.

No words were needed and any shift in attention would invite unwanted comment from their parents.

Despite their many arguments and endless issues with being betrothed against their will, they truly did care for each other and these small, intimate gestures were nothing new to them. It had started a couple of years ago when he'd impulsively hugged her as she'd cried after a fight with her father and had been returned by way of a gentle hand on his arm to cool his temper during a rather long, instructional lecture from Rogers.

They'd slowly been sneaking into each other's comfort zones ever since, so by now it was a welcome habit. Expected even.

"It doesn't hurt," she whispered, leaning toward him a bit when she was sure their parents were otherwise occupied.

He squeezed her hand gently and shook his head, eyes still on the other occupants of the table. "That's not the point."

She opened her mouth to reply but her words died in her throat as his mother's eyes wandered to them. He released his grip on her fingers and inconspicuously slid is hand back to his plate as hers found her lap. Uberta eyed them suspiciously for a moment before returning her attention to the story King William was telling.

Derek waited a minute or two before allowing his hand to follow hers under the table. "You know," he began slowly, as though unsure of how to express his current train of thought.

She saved him from having to contemplate it too long by meeting his hand halfway in its quest for hers. "I know," she assured, as though somehow more aware of his own thought process than he was.

He didn't question how she knew, they had long ago learned to read each other. He simply nodded and held her hand as though his life depended on it.


End file.
